A World Without Light
by Beautiful Darkside
Summary: Avery Penber may be blind, but she is very smart and brave. When Ryuzaki came to her and told her that he was L, she started helping with the Kira case. Light Yagami loves Avery Penber. But he can't tell her this. Because she hates Kira. She wants Kira found and punished. So, Light has two options. One, tell Avery the truth and hope she understands, or, two, give up on being Kira.
1. Prologue

**Avery**

Sometimes it's hard to get through every day without biting someone's head off. It's even harder when you can't see that person's head, or any of that person for that matter. But, I seem to be able to get by somehow. I generally don't snap at people. That's just how I am. But today, I've made an exception. Arkem Briz needed to take a hint and leave me alone. "This is the last time I am going to say this, Briz. Piss off!"

"Damn. Avery's getting angry." I could hear Arkem move closer to me. "You're hot when you're mad."

"That's it! I'm going to kill him! Point me in the right direction! I'm going to kill him!" I shouted, flailing my hands around wildly. I stopped as someone grabbed my arms. "Whoever's holding on to me, let go! I'm going to kill him!"

"Avery. Calm down." My brother whispered in my ear, tightening his hold on me. "It's okay. We'll handle this. Right, Ryuzaki?"

"Yes." I could hear L's computer chair rolling across the room, stopping slightly in front of me. "Arkem. If you cannot restrain yourself, I will have to ask you to leave this investigation."

"That's it? Ask him to leave?" I asked, appalled. "Oh, come on! At least let me hit him a couple times! Please?"

"I'm sorry, Avery." Ryuzaki said. "But we cannot have any violence here."

I looked to where my best friend's voice was coming from. "That's bull shit! What about the other day when you and Light were going at it?"

"That's different." Light spoke up. "We were chained together. We got frustrated with each other."

My eyes lit up. "So, are you saying if I was chained to Arkem, you'd let me kick his ass?"

"No." Light responded, sounding slightly irritated by the idea.

"What the hell?!"

"Avery. Don't worry about it." My best friend, Calla, said. "My brother's not worth it. And if he doesn't leave you alone, I'll kick his ass myself."

I smiled. My friends were always there for me. I knew that, even though I couldn't see any of them. I was never left alone, even though I have ways of getting around. Calla shares a room with me here at Headquarters. She's always placing clothes out for me every day, claiming that I always look great in what she picks out for me. I take her word for it, but sometimes I'm not too sure.

My brother barely ever leaves my side. Ever since our parents were killed about a year ago, Raden has had to take care of me. He's quite overprotective, but I'm used to it. He's not very strict with me. The only rule he really has is that he doesn't want me left alone with a guy.

Ryuzaki and I became friends a couple months ago when he told me he was L and wanted me to help with the Kira case. I accepted. I want to catch Kira. I want him to pay for all of the evil he has brought into the world.

Near and I became friends shortly after I joined the investigation. I had accidently stepped on a jigsaw puzzle he was working on. I apologized and offered to help him finish it. He was confused, but he accepted. He soon realized that even blind people can work on puzzles.

Mello was okay, but he was more of an acquaintance than a friend. He usually kept to himself and stayed in his room unless the others absolutely needed him. But he had helped me get around Headquarters a few times when the others weren't around, and he never complained about it. At least, not out loud. So I decided he wasn't such a bad guy, and if I ever needed his help, I wouldn't hesitate to ask.

All of my friends are great, but the one who I really love is Light Yagami. I've been friends with Light for about three years, and I've been crushing on him for longer. He sees me as his best friend. But I can't help but think that there may be hope. But, then again, he is dating that super model, Misa Amane. I guess he and I just aren't meant to be.

"Ryuzaki. 24 more criminals were reported to have died yesterday."

I could hear the others gasp as Deputy Director Chief Yagami told them the news. "24? That's one per hour." Raden stated. "But… I thought Kira was a student."

"I guess we can rule that out." Light said.

"Well, not necessarily." I stated. "Any student can skip class for a day. Though, it does still seem unlikely."

"No. That's just what Kira wants." L told me. "I wonder. Is it possible for Kira to determine the date and time of his victim's deaths?"

"Do you really think that's possible Ryuzaki?" I asked. "Do you really think Kira has that much power?"

"I'm not sure. But we have to put it into consideration. We can't rule anything out just yet. I still believe that Kira is in fact a student."

"That's crazy L, I mean Ryuzaki." Matsuda said. "Why would a student go through so much trouble just to kill criminals?"

"Maybe Kira feels that he is bringing justice to this world?" Light offered.

"No matter what his reasons are, he's a murderer." I said. "And I will not rest until he is caught, and executed."

"None of you think he's justice in any way?" Arkem asked. "I mean, crime rates have dropped immensely."

"Who cares? Leave the apprehending to the police." I said coldly. "Or maybe Kira can help. I don't know. But you can't kill people. It makes him no better than the people he's killing."

"Wow Avery. A lot of people disagree with Kira's way of bringing justice." Light stated. "But you seem to hate him with all your heart."

I was silent for a moment, trying to regain my composure. "I do. I hate Kira. I want him caught and killed."

"Avery…" Light hesitated. "You seem much more passionate about this than most other people. I can't help but think there's more to it than just the fact that he's a murderer."

I looked down, trying to keep my tears back. "Kira killed my father, and his fiancée. My father was working on the case undercover, and was killed by Kira. His fiancée tried to get to the task force with important information, but Kira got to her first." I looked up, hoping I was looking in the right direction. Everyone was silent, letting me vent. "That's why I hate Kira. My parents were not bad people. They were just doing their jobs. He got rid of them for his own sake. Kira is evil, and I will not rest until he is dead."

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I started to cry. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. "Avery," Near whispered in my ear. "Come with me to the other room. Let's get your mind off of this."

I nodded and let Near lead me out of the room. Just before the door closed, I could hear Light whisper, "I'm sorry."

**Light**

I watched as Near escorted Avery out of the room. I tried to keep my reaction to myself, but I felt horrible. I had no idea Avery and Raden were related to Raye Penber… God, I was stupid. Of course it wasn't a coincidence they had the same last name! But I had never met her parents the whole time we knew each other. I had only met her brother a couple months before we joined the investigation.

Dammit, this was bad. I was finally going to tell Avery that I was Kira. I hated keeping the secret from her for so long, but I wasn't sure how she'd react. But knowing that I killed her parents, I can never tell her now. She can never find out.

I excused myself and headed to my room. I needed to be alone to think. I had to figure out what I was going to do about Avery. This was the only time I had felt guilty about causing someone's death. Before now, Raye Penber and Naomi Misora were just two bystanders getting in my way. They had to be eliminated. But if I had known they were her parents, I would have spared them. I would have figured something else out. I would have done… something. Anything, so she wouldn't hate me as much as she does now. Maybe she would have even agreed with what I was doing. No, no, probably not.

I sighed as I sat on my bed. My stomach felt sick, and my hands were shaking slightly. I took a deep breath. I had to regain my composure. We had to do more research soon, and I couldn't show that this situation had affected me.

I sat up and was about to head towards the main room when I heard Avery's voice. She sounded angry. It sounded like she was yelling at Ryuzaki. I pressed my ear against the wall. I hated eavesdropping, but I was curious to know what L had done to upset her. And then I heard my name, and Avery defending me. My eyes widened.

They were arguing about my innocence in the Kira investigation.


	2. Chapter 1

**Avery**

Near and I were sitting on the floor of my room, silently working on a jigsaw puzzle , trying to calm my nerves when there was a knock on the door. I heard someone walk in quietly then Watari spoke. "Miss Avery? Ryuzaki would like to speak to you."

I sighed. I didn't feel up to talking to anyone right now. "Okay." I responded reluctantly. "Tell him I'll be right there." As I stood up, I felt a hand wrap around my wrist.

"Avery. Be careful around Light." Near's voice dripped with warning and concern.

I looked towards him, confused. "What? Why?"

"None of us trust him. You know that, right?"

"Yes." I responded, wary of where this conversation was going. "All though I'm not sure why."

"Avery, no one has told you this, but you deserve to know." He told me, his voice sounding sad. "We suspect that Light may be Kira. And Misa the second Kira."

I froze. Light? Kira? It-it wasn't possible. "Who thinks this?"

He was silent for a moment before he answered. "L. Mello. Me. Your brother. Calla. Arkem. Pretty much everyone working on the case, aside from his father and the others on the task force."

"And everyone else knows he's suspected?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Yes."

I pulled away from him, furious. "Why didn't anyone tell me?" I demanded.

"We didn't want to worry you."

"Don't bullshit me Near." I snapped. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

He hesitated. "Light begged us not to."

I turned away. "What are you talking about?"

"When we told Light that you would be working on the Kira case, he begged and begged that we `wouldn't tell you that he was suspected of being Kira. He didn't want his best friend to worry." Near sighed. "Everyone agreed to keep it a secret, but I couldn't continue to keep it from you. You deserve to know. We're not a hundred percent sure, but we have reasons to believe that he is Kira." I could hear him standing up. "I'm telling you this so you can decide for yourself whether you believe it or not."

"What is the percentage?" I asked, knowing always had a percentage for everything.

"About seven percent."

I scoffed. Seriously? "If Light says he's innocent, then he's innocent."

I stormed out of the room without another word and headed towards Ryuzaki's room. I had walked around HQ with an escort long enough to know exactly where I was going without any help. I slammed the door behind me and glared in the direction where I hoped L was sitting. "What the hell?"

"Hm?"

"Everyone here knows about Light being under suspicion, and I'm just finding this out today? What the hell?" I was furious, and I could do very little to hide it, in my voice, and my face.

"Light didn't want you to know." He responded, nonchalantly.

"Are you saying that you would have told me if you could?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes." He replied. "That's exactly what I'm saying. Because now that you know," I could hear him step towards me. "Have you ever noticed anything odd about Light in the past couple of months?"

"What? No. Of course not." This was ridiculous. I was starting to get really pissed off.

"Do you suspect Light of being Kira?"

"Of course not!" I shouted. "Light Yagami is NOT Kira."

"You hope."

I glared towards where his voice was coming from. "I know. Light is not Kira. Misa may or may not be the second Kira. But Light is not Kira." What the hell was up with this guy? This was my best friend we were talking about!

Ryuzaki was silent for a moment. "Perhaps you are right. But I still suspect him."

"Why?! Ryuzaki, he's not Kira! Light is not Kira!"

"How are you feeling today?"

My eyes widened a little bit. Where the hell did that come from? "Huh?"

"Earlier, when you were talking about your parents." He responded. "Are you calm now?"

"I was. But I'm not anymore!" I yelled. "Don't change the subject Ryuzaki. Tell me why you suspect Light."

He sighed. "Your father was watching over two families, one of them being Light's. We have witnesses claiming that Light had talked to him. Then he turns up dead."

"It could be a coincidence." I said, desperate to defend my best friend.

"It's not. Avery." His voice was sad. "I know you don't want to hear it, but it was Light. Light killed Raye Penber and Naomi Misora."

I slammed my fist against the first thing it connected with, which was the wall. "No! Light didn't do it! He wouldn't kill my family!"

"Did he know that they were your family?"

"What?"

"Did he know who your parents were?"

"W-Well…" I stuttered. He had a point. "No… But…"

"Avery. Light is Kira."

"No I'm not!" I heard Light yell as the door slammed open. "How could you do this to her? How can you sit there with a straight face and say that her best friend killed her parents? I can't believe you, you heartless fiend!"

"Light…" I whispered. "Stop..."

"Avery. I-" Light froze, probably when he noticed that I was crying. "Avery…"

"It's not worth it." I told him through sobs. "You know the truth. I know the truth. That's all that matters."

"Avery…"

"Why is my best friend crying!?" I suddenly heard Calla yell, bursting through the door. "Who did this? It was you, wasn't it Ryuzaki, you pervert!"

"I'm a pervert?"

"Calla. Calm down." Light said. "Ryuzaki just hit a couple nerves is all. You know how careless he can be. Avery's fine."

"I'll be the judge of that." Calla grabbed my wrists and was probably doing what she does every time I get upset. She looks into my eyes and searches through the unseeing pupils for answers. "Oh my God. He brought up your parents. And you know that Light is suspected of being Kira. And he's trying to convince you that Light killed your parents?!" She let go of my wrists and I could hear her walking towards Ryuzaki. "How could you?!"

There was movement to my right. "Um… How did she do that?" Light whispered in my ear as there was a sound of a hand connecting with a cheek. "How did she know what happened? Was she eavesdropping?"

"No. It's Calla's, what I like to call, "sixth sense". She calls it "BFF telepathy". Whatever you call it, all she has to do is look into my eyes and she knows exactly what happened."

"That's kind of creepy."

I laughed. "Maybe. But it saves me from having to explain everything." I turned towards him. "Is Calla beating the crap out of him?"

Light laughed. "Yes." I could feel his hand rest on my shoulder. "Come on. Let's go do something."

"Like what?"

"I don't care. Anything to get you out of here so you don't have to deal with all of this shit for now."

**Light**

Avery and I decided to go to a little Cafe she and Calla like to go to from time to time. Drinking coffee and eating a donut helped her relax. A little detail of her life that I never got tired of seeing. Avery wasn't an odd girl; she just had an odd way of doing things, which was one of the things I loved about her. When she went to a coffee shop, she always ordered a medium coffee, double double, and a honey crueler. She slowly sips her coffee as soon as she gets it, taking about 45 minutes to finish it, and in between sips, she nibbles slowly on her donut. "Got to savor the flavor" She always says with a smile.

I just sat there and watched her for about ten minutes before saying anything. "How are you feeling?"

"Better now that I'm out of HQ." She replied. "I can't believe they suspect you of being Kira."

I laughed, glad she couldn't see my face. "Yeah. Crazy, huh?" I sighed quietly. I wanted to tell Avery that I was Kira as soon as she joined the investigation. But as soon as I found out that her parents were killed by Kira, I knew that she would not hesitate to turn me in to L, even though I'm her best friend. She hates Kira, and she wants him put to justice. There has to be some way to convince her that Kira is justice.

"Light? Earth to Light. You okay?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and shook my head slightly. "I'm sorry Avery. Lost in thought. What was that?"

She smiled slightly. "You were always one to zone out. I was just saying that this Kira thing is starting to get a little ridiculous. I mean, it was one thing when he was targeting criminals, but to kill people who are just doing their job, it's just unbelievable." She shook her head. "And to top it all off, it's turning some of the workers in the investigation against each other. And as if I didn't have enough problems, Arkem is seriously starting to piss me off. Like, why the bloody hell can't that kid take a hint? No means no. Dumbass."

I couldn't help but laugh a bit. She was right. Arkem was an idiot, and he was also starting to piss me off. I hated the way he talked to her, and the way he looked at her-like she was his next meal that he couldn't wait to devour. It _was_ ridiculous. _He_ was ridiculous. And if Avery or Raden didn't kick his ass, there was a very good chance I would. I had considered killing him a few times, but there was a very good chance that his death could be tracked to someone in the investigation, raising the suspicion L already has of me being Kira. And besides, the point of Kira was to rid the world of evil and those who stood in my way, not to use my powers for my own personal needs-even if that fucker did deserve to die.

"He is an idiot." I agreed. "But you shouldn't worry about it. You're stressed enough as it is." I was starting to get really worried about her. She wasn't smiling nearly as much nowadays, and her laugh often sounded very forced. And though I knew she would deny it, I knew she had been crying herself to sleep almost every night. The stress of the investigation combined with the irritation caused by Arkem was becoming too much. Not to mention she had just learned that her best friend was under suspicion of being Kira. It was all too much.

"I'm fine Light. Really."

I knew she was lying, even without having to look at her. Her voice cracked ever so slightly, so much that only those close to her would notice it. I had become very fluent in her tells. Her voice would crack, and she would fidget with her hands whenever she was lying. If she was nervous about anything, she would bite her lip slightly. I liked it when she did that. She looked really good when she bit her lip.

I shook my head. No. I can't be having those thoughts about her. She was my best friend, and no matter how much I wished it could happen, she would never be mine. I had to maintain the "relationship" with Misa. I needed her as the second Kira to carry out my plans-as annoying as she was, she was useful-and there was a very good chance that I could slip up around Avery if we ever started dating, then she would hate me forever. I couldn't lose her. Having her as a friend was better than not having her at all.

After a while of just random conversation, the familiar sound of Beautiful Darkside by The Classic Crime filled the restaurant. Avery fished her phone out of her bag and checked the caller ID. "It's Near. Sorry Light, this will only take a moment." She flipped open her phone and placed it against her ear. "Talk to me."

I smiled slightly. I loved it when she answered her phone like that. Not a simple "hello" or "hey" or anything of the like. Just "talk to me". I liked it when she did things differently, her way. It was those little things that made me fall for her.

I sighed quietly. I wanted her so bad. All I ever thought about lately was how much I wanted her. I wanted to be able to love her and hold her and kiss her luscious, red lips…

Dammit, I seriously needed to get ahold of my thoughts. _She can never be yours._ I had to make sure I kept telling myself that.

I took a sip of my coffee and looked up at Avery as she hung up her phone. I froze. Something was wrong. Her hands were shaking, and her breathing was hard and fast. Tears began to form in her eyes as she looked towards me. "M-My brother. H-he's in the hospital."


	3. Chapter 2

**Avery**

My legs felt weak as I stumbled towards the door to wait for Watari to pick us up to take us to the hospital. Light held my hand tightly as he helped me to a bench in front of the Café. I tried to control my tears, but it was near impossible. The tears flowed as I put my face in my hands and sobbed.

"Avery. Hey. Ave. Look at me." Light said softly. I looked where his voice was coming from. He sounded so concerned. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

I couldn't speak. I couldn't get a word out. I was starting to hyperventilate. I couldn't control my breathing, and I started to cry more. Light wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly.

"Avery, listen to me. It's okay. You're okay. You're safe." He whispered softly in my ear. "Breathe Ave. Deep, slow breaths." I started to calm down, and he handed me some water. I slowly drank some and calmed my breathing down more. "Okay, now talk to me. What happened to Raden?"

I took a deep breath. "N-Near said Raden felt terrible when he found out that I knew about L's suspicion of you. So he was trying to find another suspect to take suspicion off of you." My whole body shook slightly as I tried to compose myself. "He was following a few members from a pretty rough gang, when one of them caught him, and, and-" I couldn't continue. I broke. The tears flowed down my face, staining my white top.

Light tightened his grip around me. I tried to calm my breathing so I could get out the last couple of words. I took another deep breath. "He was stabbed."

I heard Light gasp as his grip loosened around me. He placed his hands firmly on my shoulders, and I knew he was looking at me, searching my face. "What?"

My body shook slightly again, and his hands tightened. "He was stabbed three times in the stomach." I sobbed. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have reacted as badly as I did about you being a suspect. I should have stayed at HQ. I shouldn't have come here with you."

"Stop it. Don't you dare think like that." Light scolded me. "None of this is your fault. You can't blame yourself for this. Raden went off on his own. He made the choice, not you. You didn't make him search for another suspect. _This is not your fault_."

I sighed. I knew there was truth in his words, but I couldn't help but feel like I was the reason for all of this. What if he didn't make it? I would never be able to live with myself if my brother died because of something he was doing for me.

"Hey. Deep breaths." Light said softly. "He'll be okay. Raden's a tough son of a bitch. He's not going to let a couple wounds take him out of this world. And he's definitely not going to leave his little sister alone in this cruel world." I felt his hands leave my shoulders as he stood up. "Watari's here. Let's get going to the hospital."

**Light**

I sat in the hospital waiting room with Calla, Arkem, L, Watari, Mello, and Near. The nurses wouldn't allow any of us in with Avery to see Raden. Family only. I understood the rule, but I hated that Avery was in there alone. I wanted to be in there with her. To hold her hand, and tell her that everything was going to be fine. I wanted to be her rock. I wanted her to know that she wasn't alone.

It felt like we were waiting forever. I didn't know when I started pacing, or how long I was doing it, but I was sure I had started to wear out the floor. I was starting to get worried. Avery had been in there for at least 3 hours. And Misa calling me every 5 minutes wasn't helping. I had to go outside for a moment to yell at her to stop calling me and that I would call her back when I could. She didn't take that very well, and called me a couple more times before she finally took the hint. She was starting to seriously irritate me. I may have to kill her sooner than planned.

I continued my pacing when Calla jumped to her feet. "Avery!" She shouted, running past me.

I spun around to see Avery standing in the doorway beside the doctor. Her eyes were tear stained. She had a slight smile on her face, which meant that everything was okay. Raden was going to be okay.

I strode towards her quickly and brought her into my arms. "Are you okay? What's happening?"

"Light? You're still here?"

I pulled back slightly and looked her. "What kind of a question is that? Of course I'm still here." I responded, slightly appalled. "What makes you think I would leave?"

"Light, it's been 5 hours." She responded, shaking her head slightly. "Honestly, I'm surprised that Calla's still here."

"We're all here Avery." Arkem told her. "L, Watari, Near, Mello. We weren't going to leave you here to deal with this yourself."

"I would have been fine." She snapped slightly in Arkem's direction. She all of a sudden seemed irritated that Arkem was there.

Arkem seemed ready to retaliate, but his sister cut him off. "I know you would have been fine Avery." Calla told her. "But what kind of a friend would I be if I didn't wait here for you?"

Near made his way over to where Avery was standing. He seemed very relieved to see her. "How's Raden?"

"He's going to be okay." The doctor responded before Avery could. "We're just finishing up some more tests, and then he can go home. He needs to take it easy for the next few days, and he'll be good as new."

"Oh, thank God." Calla whispered. She looked back towards Avery. "Are you okay?"

Avery smiled towards her. "Yeah, I'm okay. A little overwhelmed, but I'm just glad Raden is okay." Her smile dropped slightly. "I'm really tired. I need to sit down."

Before anyone could react, I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the chairs in the waiting room. I sat her down and took the chair beside her. She rested her head on my shoulders and closed her eyes. I took her hand in mine and stayed as still as possible so I wouldn't disturb her while she tried to sleep.

I was furious. When I find out that man's name, I'm going to write his name in the Death Note 10 fucking times and give him the worst death possible. He needed to pay for harming Avery's brother. It would seem like Kira was just passing judgment on this man, so it wouldn't add any suspicion to someone close to the Penbers. I just needed to find out this man's name. Easier said than done.

I flipped open my phone and sent Misa a text.

_I need you to search the internet for a man who was apprehended for a stabbing today. When you've found him, kill him._

My phone vibrated moments later. _Why?_

Bloody hell, this woman was going to be the death of me. _Because I said so! Just do it!_ Honestly, why did I have to explain everything to this idiot? _And tell me when you've done it._ She told me she would do anything for me, for Kira. Why the hell was she questioning me?

_Okay, okay, jeez. What's going on?_

I decided to ignore her last text message. She was working my last nerve.

My attention turned towards Avery. Her head had shifted slightly on my shoulder and her hair had fallen over her eyes. I brushed the beautiful strawberry blonde strands behind her ear and smiled slightly. She was so beautiful. I wanted her so badly, it hurt. I needed her. I knew it was a bad idea, but seeing her break down, so fragile, it hurt. I just wanted to hold her and kiss her and tell her I loved her. I wanted to be the one she immediately came to with every problem. I wanted to be her everything. I wanted to be her world.

I looked back at her as she shifted slightly and mumbled something. Even in her sleep she was adorable. I didn't know what came over me, I couldn't seem to control myself, and I just leaned over slightly and kissed the top of her head.

I looked up towards the others and froze when I saw Arkem glaring at me. Dammit. Of all people, he's the one I didn't want to see that. Now he'll be worse around Avery, and even more of a jackass to me. This wasn't good. I had a hard enough time dealing with him.

He turned away and I just shook it off. I would deal with him when the time came. The only thing that was important right now was being there for Avery and Raden.

It was another hour and a half before the doctor finally wheeled Raden into the waiting room. He seemed tired, but aside from that, he seemed okay. I nudged Avery slightly. "Ave. Hey, Ave." I said softly. "Avery, you're brother's here."

She shifted slightly then looked up at me with half opened eyes. "Hm?"

"Raden's in the waiting room." I told her. "Look."

She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. And then, as if a light bulb went off in her head, she gasped. "Raden!" She stood up quickly and grabbed my hand. I stood up and walked her to her brother and she wrapped her arms around him. "Oh my God, Raden!"

Raden chuckled slightly. "Hey sis. I'm okay." He wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, hey, don't cry"

Avery had broken down again. But who could blame her. She almost lost her brother, the most important person in her life. She needed him in her life.

"Raden's going to be just fine Miss Penber." The doctor told her. "He just needs to take it easy and stay in the wheelchair for another twenty-four hours." He handed Raden a piece of paper. "Here's a prescription for some pain killers. Only take one per day when you need it." He patted Raden lightly on the shoulder. "Take care of yourself Mr. Penber." And with that, he went to see to another patient.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Avery sobbed. "I thought I was going to lose you."

Raden laughed. "Come on Ave. You know it would take more than a couple of stab wounds to take me out." He smiled. "I'm okay Avery, really." She nodded and he looked towards L. "I know what you're going to say, and I won't have it. I'm going straight to HQ. I'll be fine."

Avery looked as though she was going to argue, but before she had the chance, L responded. "I'm glad to hear that. But you need to take it easy, and no more going off on your own." He looked around at the others. "That goes for everyone. No one goes off on their own, got it?"

There were murmurs of agreement between the group, and L nodded. "Alright, then let's get back to HQ."

**Avery**

Raden seemed fine, but I was still very worried about him. I wouldn't let him go anywhere without me, and if I couldn't go with him, I'd send someone else to watch over him. I could tell it was starting to get on his nerves, but he must have figured that was how I felt when he stayed by my side, because he never said anything about it.

Twenty-four hours had passed, and Raden was out of the wheelchair and seemed good as new. He kept talking about how he wanted to continue looking for a new suspect, but L would have nothing of it. "You just got out of the wheelchair Raden. Do you really want to go back in it?" That had shut him up about it, but I could tell it was bothering him.

"Raden, it's okay." I had told him while we were in the kitchen alone. "You don't need to find someone to clear Light's name. I know he's innocent."

"No one agrees with you Avery." He had responded in a whisper. "Not even me." He looked down at his feet and clenched his hands into fists. "I want to believe you, so badly, but he's the only suspect we have. All of the evidence leads to him and Misa." His voice shook, and I knew he was holding back tears. "I know how much this is hurting you Avery, having him under suspicion. I just… I just want to be able to help you, and finding a new suspect is the only way I know how."

"You don't need to help me Raden." I told him, my own eyes watering. I hated it when he was like this. He sounded so fragile, so heart-broken. "I know I broke down when I found out, but that was because I was caught off guard. I know he's innocent, and right now, that's all that matters." I lifted my hand towards him and he took it in his. "Don't worry about me Raden. And don't worry about Light. His innocence will become clear in time."

"And if he's guilty?" He asked. "For the sake of argument, if he truly is Kira, then what?"

I was silent for a moment. I hadn't thought about that. What would I do? Raden's grip tightened on my hand as I responded. "If Light truly is Kira. I will help turn him in. And I will watch as he is executed."


End file.
